Category Archives: General

So you’re laying in your warm snuggly bed, the alarm has already gone off and you need to get up and face the day. When searching to find something to wear how many of you think about the colour you are going to put on? Is it something you spend time on, or do you just reach for the first thing closest to you?

We are always amazed by the mysterious clothing world that Anna-Marie lives in and her vast array of colourful clothes! The same colour is never worn two days in a row and the combinations are… well… quite unusual!

This week we overheard her mumbling that she thought the wonderfully bright imperial purple top she was wearing was enhancing her creativity! Now we realize that there might be many factors that make us more creative one day to another, however we started thinking about wearing certain colours and it evoked some research.

It turns out that wearing purple helps you to open your mind to higher forces thus making a channel for creative energy…! Wearing purple will help to inspire you and others and help you get in touch with your creative side and intuition.

We asked Anna-Marie why she chose to wear purple that day (especially as we had a heap of ideas to originate) and whether it was subconscious or pre-planned. She told us that it was an easy decision when peering into her magical wardrobe and that she was drawn to it instantly. Anna-Marie also wore a purple Sodalite necklace that when researched found that its healing properties were associated with the right side of the brain, stimulating intuition and imagination.

We all have certain tasks that face us each day – maybe the colour you are wearing today could make it that little bit easier!
Oh and for a visual picture, Anna-Marie is wearing red with peacock green today…! Work that one out…

Yes don’t fall off the back of your chair or spit out your tea… we can’t believe it’s actually happened either! Not that it’s been a particularly hard job… (well trying to let go of the perfectionism brush as been a bit of a struggle) but trying to fit in doing something for yourself when you’ve got so many other jobs on the go is a tricky thing.

So where did our inspiration stem from…? We knew what we didn’t want – a cookie cutter style site of coloured squares and template tints. It had to represent our style and personality, hints of cheek and playfulness, whilst showing our company values and of course our skills and recent work projects.

The inspiration for the etched illustrations on the front page came from Anna-Marie’s art class where she was playing with printing techniques and fell in love with the style. The intricate backgrounds were hand drawn by Tom who was inspired by Japanese prints with a modern twist. We didn’t want to lose the movement that we had in the last site and so using java script we were able to use it throughout the site whilst being seen on different platforms.

Totally carried away with the theme of the site “expect the unexpected” we are now bursting with new ideas of adding to it and updating it, so watch this space… work permitting that is…!

We do hope you like our new site and if you have any requests for new drawings to be added to our backgrounds, then fill your boots and get a mention in our next blog update.

PILLOWTALK
How many times have you woken up at 3am with a really good idea or thought, then gone back to sleep only to have completely forgotten it on waking?
There is nothing more frustrating than having a creative block, so wouldn’t it be nice if you could go to sleep with the thought of a job to solve, only to wake with the perfect solution?
Nine months ago this topic of conversation came up in the Bussroot studio and although at first it was just a lighthearted banter, the more we talked about it, the stronger the idea became.
On a fated evening in the local pub, Anna-Marie happened to start a conversation with a technology software developer and the project suddenly lit up! After various meetings with a sleep specialist, a series of prototypes were tested and designed and the final product was chosen.

PILLOWTALK WAS BORN!

The concept is very simple to use. The night before you want an idea, you press the input button on the Pillowtalk generator (which slots neatly into the side of the pillow) and speak up to five key words into the pillow, relating to your problem. The Pillowtalk generator has inbuilt voice recognition software that records your key words. This could be anything from ideas on decorating your house, to an idea for a new novel. Throughout the night the pillow generates soft and gently spoken words that are picked up by your subconsious mind. The minute you wake and remember your dreams or thoughts, you can record them on the generator for you to play back at any time.

The Bussroot creative team have been using the Pillowtalk for three months now and are astonished by the new and innovative ideas that have come out of using the pillow. “It just helps bounce new thoughts around the office when we are having a think-tank session” said designer Darryl Hartley. “My subconscious mind is completely free at night without any of the chaotic layers that a general working day holds, so the ideas that come out of using Pillowtalk are unbelievable – I just love it”.
Copywriter, Susi Ibelati, has found that there’s no longer a need to scrabble around in the night looking for a pen and paper to write down the solutions to problems. She says that with Pillowtalk she just can’t wait to wake up in the morning to play back the recordings!

If you would like a free-trial of our revolutionary new invention, then you’ll need to be quick as the offer is for a limited period only and will end at mid-day, today. Email us to register your interest. Only the first 50 will be successful!

When Gibbs SR won a lottery in 1956 to promote their toothpaste on the first TV advertisement shown in the UK, no one could ever have imagined how the media would evolve over the next 44 years. I would bet that most viewers who saw those early ads can still remember the strap lines and jingles. Murray mints, too good to hurry mints. Esso means happy motoring. Go well, go Shell. The message was more important than the image.

TV ads may well be more thought-provoking and visually entertaining but does the sight of a gorilla thumping his drums along to Phil Collins vocals make you want to rush out and buy a king-size bar of Cadbury’s chocolate? Possibly, if you happen to like Phil Collins and don’t have an aversion to big hairy primates. Personally, give me a gorilla any day over a meercat comparing the market. Is an irritating ad more memorable if it grabs your attention even if it’s for the wrong reason? You’ll probably remember the domain name on an annoying and persistent ad like confused.com, but will it put you off buying the product?

If the call to action is all-important, personally the kid who wants to use the toilet at his mate Paul’s house doesn’t persuade me to rush out to buy whatever air freshener the ad is promoting. In fact I can’t even remember the brand. Now the Sean Bean narrated O2 rubber duck advert, where the ducks make their journey down rivers, waterfalls and ice flows, ending in a fisherman’s pond has me transfixed. I may not switch my mobile network provider, but if anyone can come up with one of the ducks, I might just be hooked.